Source: Mediaspy
Former Ten News at Five Melbourne co-anchor Helen Kapalos will be gauging the interest of a number of international broadcasters this week following an unflattering departure from the struggling Australian network.
According to Fairfax, Kapalos who is currently in New York on a pre-planned trip is reported to be meeting with CBS News executive Bill Mondora this week, with discussions with Al Jazeera and at least two other Australian networks also on the cards.
The newsreader, who was dismissed by Ten minutes after anchoring the 9 November bulletin solo, has received an outpouring of support from fans and colleagues alike.
Many media commentators have expressed their disgust at the manner in which she was let go, with reports that her security pass and email were deactivated before she had left the building.
Amid the criticism Ten have defended the way in which they’ve managed the redundancies with a spokeswoman saying “It is easy for our critics to make sweeping statements and accusations… which have no substance. We have of course thanked Helen for the significant contribution she made [and] she departs with our best wishes.”
The network has retrenched over 100 staff over the past two weeks which has seen the axing of the struggling Breakfast, and Ten Morning News.
Across the nation, 20 presenters and reporters have been made redundant as the network moves to centralise its news gathering effort.
Morning News presenter Ron Wilson, and Weekend News sports presenter Rob Canning were let go by the network, and the axing of Breakfast has seen the departure of both Paul Henry and Kathryn Robinson.
Kapalos was the first high profile redundancy in a move that has swept the local editions of Ten News at Five. The bulletin will move to a single presenter format, seeing the departure of Sydney’s Bill Woods, Perth’s Craig Smart and Brisbane’s Georgina Lewis who was offered the role of weather presenter, a position which she had held for four years before being promoted to co-anchor.
The sackings appear to be an important part of the embattled network moving past the financial implications of one of their worst performing years.
The network has struggled to maintain its main demographic of 18-25s in an industry which has lost significant ground to the rise of the internet.
Laurence Freedman, who led Ten through its most profitable era in the 90s tweeted, “You have to feel sorry for poor old Ten. They did a very good job of appealing to young people and then that audience moved away from TV.”
Incoming general manager Russel Howcroft will start at the network next year, and although it will take a lot for Ten to get back on its feet, and according to him the timing works out well telling Fairfax, “I actually think it’s better to take over a company that’s having a hard time because at least the only way is up.”
GREEK WORLD MEDIA 